Forecast not bothering de Minaur at Open

Camera IconAlex de Minaur is unphased by the expected heat during his Austalian Open round one match.

Top local hopes Ashleigh Barty and Alex de Minaur begin their Australian Open campaigns on Monday, when the tournament's new extreme heat policy looks set to come into play.

A predicted high of 35 degrees is precisely not what organisers Tennis Australia would have wished for given the weight of first-round fixtures to get through.

It's also less than ideal for emerging star de Minaur, competing off the back of two matches on Saturday as he claimed his first ATP title, the Sydney International.

The 19-year-old, who will face Portuguese clay specialist Pedro Sousa on Margaret Court Arena in the afternoon heat, said he wasn't bothered by the forecast.

"I've always loved playing in the heat. I've grown up playing in the heat. If (the roof) was to stay open, great," he said.

"I'm a strong believer that you've just got to adapt to the conditions on that day.

"That's one of the things I've really focused on, to be versatile and to be able to adapt to sort of all these different conditions.

"It's not going to change what I'm going to do. I'm going to go out there, compete, try my hardest. We'll see what happens."

A new 'heat stress scale' based on four factors - air temperature, radiant heat, humidity and wind speed - will allow for extended breaks more often than the previous policy.

However, the roof on Melbourne Park's three indoor courts will only be closed if conditions are so bad as to suspend play on outside courts.

In total, 14 Australians are in action on Monday.

Barty, the top-ranked local as the women's 15th seed, faces Luksika Kumkhum on Margaret Court Arena, with Bernard Tomic's late match against sixth seed Marin Cilic closing the same court.

Andy Murray's clash with Roberto Bautista Agut on Melbourne Arena promises an incredible show of support for the Scot after the five-time Open runner-up announced this tournament would be his last in Australia.

Five former Australian Open champions compete on Rod Laver Arena, with Maria Sharapova and Angelique Kerber playing lesser-ranked opponents either side of Rafael Nadal's clash with Australian James Duckworth.